Hokie ClubBLACKSBURG – Setting a new benchmark in the category of extraordinary walk-off finishes at English Field on Friday, the Virginia Tech baseball team relied on elite base running during the ninth inning to turn a fluke play into the winning run as the Hokies stunned Clemson, 2-1, to clinch their fourth consecutive ACC series.
Lying two hits through eight innings of play, Virginia Tech (29-22, 15-14 ACC) entered the bottom of the ninth inning trailing, 1-0, in need of a ferocious jumpstart to have a fighting chance against the Tigers’ saves leader, Hayden Simmerson.
Two pitches into the ninth inning, freshman Ethan Ball answered the Hokies’ desperate cries, pulling a fly ball to right field that was headed for the top of the outfield wall, kept in play by the leaping Jackson Moore. Despite missing the game-tying home run by a matter of inches, Ball jogged into second base with a leadoff double – his team leading, 17th of the season – willing the home team to cook up the winning recipe behind him.
Working a 3-0 count, Hudson Lutterman appeared to have produced the game-tying swing when he split the gap in left center field perfectly, despite left fielder Jack Crighton tracking down the ball in time and avoiding a collision with center fielder Bryce Clavon. Lutterman’s fly did succeed in moving Ball up 90 feet, positioning him to score easily when Nick Locurto batted a shallow flare into right field, knotting the game at 1-1.
Locked in a new game with Clemson (30-25, 9-20 ACC), Virginia Tech continued making its push for the win as Pete Daniel slapped a ball up the third base line for an infield single, sliding Locurto over to second base as the potential winning run. With Sam Gates digging in, Simmerson skipped his 1-1 delivery off the plate, prompting a bizarre, game-ending sequence that inevitably will go down among the Hokies’ most memorable spanning recent history.
Daniel and Locurto both took off naturally on Simmerson’s wild pitch, which merited a throw from catcher Nate Savoie to second base against the trailing runner, Daniel. Upon the ball leaving Savoie’s hand, Daniel reversed course, baiting the Tigers into a critical rundown with Locurto holding onto the third base bag.
Retreating towards first base, Daniel lured Clemson into a 2-6-3-4-6 rundown, changing direction twice before making the game-winning decision to peel off at first base and allow Locurto the chance at scoring. Sure enough, Locurto waited until the perfect moment to dart home, sliding comfortably ahead of the ensuing throw home as the Virginia Tech dugout poured onto the diamond in jubilee.
Daniel and Locurto’s base running excellence spared a pitching performance worthy of victory as sophomore starter Logan Eisenreich set career highs in innings pitched (six) and strikeouts (nine), holding the Tigers to a skinny run during the third inning. Freshman right-hander Ethan Grim picked up the slack from Eisenreich, inducing a 4-3 double play when he entered during the seventh inning on his way to three scoreless innings of relief.
Ethan Gibson accounted for Virginia Tech’s two hits through the game’s first eight innings, singling during his two opening at-bats. Prior to the game, Gibson was honored as the Hokies’ 21st all-time recipient of the Johnny Oates Memorial Award, presented annually within the program.
Jarren Purify went 2-for-4 from the leadoff spot for Clemson while Clavon’s double during the second inning marked the Tigers’ lone extra-base hit of the game. Drew Titsworth and Ariston Veasey both pitched three scoreless innings for the visitors, combining for eight of the staff’s 10 strikeouts.
In victory, Virginia Tech clinched its highest ACC winning percentage under head coach John Szefc since 2022 when the Hokies championed the Coastal Division with the league’s best record. Virginia Tech remains in contention to land a first-round bye at the 2026 ACC Baseball Championship; the Hokies – whose seed window at time of release remains between No. 5 and No. 10 – can clinch such with a win during Saturday’s regular season finale against Clemson.
UP NEXT
Virginia Tech will vie for its first ACC sweep of the season when it hosts Clemson on Saturday, May 16, at English Field. First pitch between the Hokies and the Tigers is scheduled for 1 p.m. ET with Senior Day festivities commencing at 12:30 p.m. ET.
REMAINING SERIES PROBABLES
• Saturday (May 16): Aidan Knaak (2-6, 5.27 ERA) vs. Griffin Stieg (2-3, 6.67 ERA)
JOHNNY OATES MEMORIAL AWARD
Johnny Oates was a 1968 graduate of Virginia Tech and member of the baseball team who went on to play 11 major league seasons between 1970 and 1981. As manager, Oates returned to the big leagues in 1991 with the Baltimore Orioles and was later named the 1996 American League Manager of the Year with the Texas Rangers.
Beloved by the Virginia Tech community, Oates sadly passed in 2004 after succumbing to a brain tumor.
Established in 2006, the Johnny Oates Memorial Award is presented annually to the Virginia Tech baseball player who best exemplifies the traits Johnny was known for: being a loyal friend and teammate, whose enduring and eternal faith, devotion to family, character, integrity, competitive nature, courage and perseverance, continue to be an inspiration to all.